So comforting! This roasted garlic cauliflower soup is made with a handful of simple ingredients and jazzed up with a splash of truffle oil! Fancy enough for company, easy enough to make on a weeknight!

roasted cauliflower soup in speckled bowl topped with truffle oil and fresh thyme leaves

Warm bowls of roasted garlic cauliflower soup make the cold, rainy autumn days so much more bearable. I love the fact that we’re using humble ingredients like onions, garlic, cauliflower, a few herbs, and a splash of cream to make this. And to jazz it up, I added a swirl of truffle oil, and this bowl of soup just broke the taste barrier.

A hearty bowl of cauliflower soup is exactly what I need for lunch on chilly, rainy days. The flavors of this soup taste better as it sits, making it ideal for quick lunches. You could even portion out the soup into these containers and have it ready to go for when lunchtime rolls around.

mini bowls with handles filled with soup

What ingredients do you need to make cauliflower soup?

  • Cauliflower florets: we’ll drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle with salt + pepper and roast the florets off in the oven until golden. You’ll want to start with 2-2 ¼ pounds of cauliflower for this recipe.
  • Olive oil + Butter: The olive oil is used to roast the cauliflower, and the butter is used to sauté the aromatics for this soup.
  • Onions + Garlic: the base of this soup. The onions are sautéed in butter until translucent. The garlic is sprinkled with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted along with the cauliflower.
  • Herbs: just a dried bay leaf (you could even use fresh if you’d like) and some fresh thyme. 
  • Chicken broth: you could also use vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegetarian-friendly. Regardless of the type of broth you use, be sure to use one that is of good quality and has a good flavor! Since this soup uses only a handful of ingredients, it’s essential to use a broth that has a deep, rich flavor.
  • Heavy cream: just a splash of cream at the end gives the soup a rich and delicious flavor. 
  • Truffle oil: a tablespoon is added at the end to flavor the soup. I know truffle oil is a bit spendy, and it’s not something you use very often, but if you’ve got some on hand, I highly encourage you to add some. It makes a huge difference!
head of cauliflower on white marble
roasted cauliflower on sheet pan

How to make the most delicious roasted garlic cauliflower soup:

  1. Season and roast: Start by placing the cauliflower florets on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a glug of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Grab a small piece of foil. Trim the top of the garlic’s head to expose the cloves, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Wrap the head of garlic in foil, so it’s completely covered. Place it on the tray with cauliflower and pop the tray into the oven to roast until golden brown and delicious. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, you’ll want to peel away the outer layers and keep the cloves aside to use in the soup.
  2. Saute the aromatics and make soup: Heat the butter in a dutch oven until melted. Add the onions and saute them until soft and translucent. Then, add the thyme and bay leaves. Then, add the broth, cauliflower florets, and roasted garlic to the soup. Once the soup is back to a boil, lower the heat, and puree the soup using an immersion blender.
  3. Finish the soup: Bring the soup back to a simmer, stir in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust with additional salt if needed; we didn’t need anymore! If at any point, the soup is too thick for your liking, you can add a splash of water to thin it out to your liking. Turn the heat off, stir in the truffle oil and serve warm!
pureed cauliflower soup in dutch oven with ladle

FAQs about roasted cauliflower soup:

  1. I follow a vegan diet; how can I make this roasted garlic cauliflower soup vegan? If you’re following a vegan diet, use vegetable broth, swap the heavy cream for coconut cream, and use avocado oil or plant-based butter to sauté the onions.
  2. What do you serve with this soup to make it a meal? I like to make the parmesan croutons that I use on my Panzanella salad with this recipe. You’ll need 2 cups day-old sourdough bread, ¼ cup olive oil, smashed clove of garlic, a few thyme sprigs, and 2 tablespoons of thyme. You can click over to the salad to get the directions on how I make them!
  3. I don’t have an immersion blender, how do I blend the soup? You can transfer the soup to a traditional blender in batches and blend until smooth. Be sure to hold the lid down with a towel in place, so you avoid splatter!
lade pouring prepared soup into speckled bowl

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close up of mini soup bowl with handles filled with cauliflower soup, topped with roasted cauliflower, thyme, truffle oil
Yield: serves 5-6

Soul-Warming Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

So comforting! This roasted garlic cauliflower soup is made with a handful of simple ingredients and jazzed up with a splash of truffle oil! Fancy enough for company, easy enough to make on a weeknight!

Soul-Warming Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower, florets (roughly 2ish pounds)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 head garlic, top removed to expose cloves.
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon white truffle oil (optional)

Instructions

    1. PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Grab the head of garlic, drizzle with a tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the head of garlic on a piece of foil and cover the head entirely.
    2. ROAST: Place the cauliflower florets in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and then spread the cauliflower out on the baking sheet. Place the head of garlic on the baking sheet on one side. Roast the cauliflower for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. The garlic may require another 10-15 minutes. Allow the garlic to cool for several minutes before attempting to squeeze it out. Set squeezed garlic aside.
    3. SOUP: Heat the butter in a dutch oven or in a soup pot, let melt. Stir in onions and allow to cook in butter until translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add the thyme leaves and bay leaf and give it 30 seconds before pouring in the broth. Bring the soup to boil, then add cauliflower and roasted garlic. Remove the bay leaf. Puree soup using an immersion blender with the soup on the low heat setting. When blended, let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, taste, and adjust with seasonings as desired. If the soup is too thick, you can add a splash of water or additional broth too thin to your liking. Turn the heat off, stir in the white truffle oil and serve warm!

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!